April 9, 2007

Afghanistan's hostgage slippery slope

The Taliban has just beheaded an Afghan national who had been working as an interpreter for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo - the two had been kidnapped a month ago. The journalist was released after the government of Hamid Karzai agreed to release five senior Taliban prisoners in Afghan custody. There are rumors that in addition to the release of the Taliban by Karzai, Italy paid a large ransom as well.

Bad idea. Italy has gained the reputation of dealing with kidnappers, not only in Afghanistan, but in Iraq as well. In 2004, they paid a ransom to Iraqi kidnappers for the release of Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, two aid workers. In 2005, they also are suspected of paying for the release of journalist Giuliana Sgrena, whose case became famous as her car came under fire as her Italian military intelligence escorts tried to run an American roadblock in Baghdad. Italy is now trying in absentia the American soldier who fired the shots - way to act like an ally, Italy. The Italian intelligence service - not known for its capabilities - blew it. (Read my earlier post Italy and Iraq – Bad Precedent/Bad Policy.)

This has come home to roost. In late 2006, Italy paid two million dollars for the release of journalist Gabriele Torsello in Afghanistan. Italians overseas are now targets for kidnappers - they know the Italian government will pay ransom.

In a likely related event, the Taliban has now seized two French nationals working for a children's relief organization, along with three Afghan nationals on their staff. After seeing the Karzai government accede to similar demands earlier, the kidnappers have demanded that Karzai now release five senior Taliban prisoners. In other areas, there have been kidnappings of Afghan government workers with the expectation that Karzai will exchange more Taliban prisoners for them.

Afghanistan and Italy are already sliding down the slippery slope of giving in to terrorists and kidnappers. One Afghan paper proposed a solution I can live with - kill all the Taliban prisoners.